Blog

It took me a while, watching the first episode of a new series from Netflix, to realize that the illustrator being profiled was one I'd heard on NPR a few months ago. I don't know about you, but I'm drawn like a moth to flame when I hear creative people talk about what goes into their craft, preferably when it touches on the real blood, sweat and tears of the process. Whatever arena, it doesn't really matter. I create stories ...

It's rampant this time of year....Seattleites running away to find a dose of warmth and sunshine wherever they can. Facebook posts of toes in the sand, fruity cocktails on the beach, ocean sunsets, pool-side lounging, and airport check-ins before boarding flights southward are in my feed daily.
Hawaii and Mexico have been perennial favorites for some time. But coming up third and gaining fast in recent years has been Palm Springs. Just a ...

This article posted on Bon Appétit's website yesterday sheds some interesting light on the job of ghost-writing and co-authoring books with chefs and other celebs. It was fun to see a number of friends included in the piece! I've never ghosted a cookbook--contributing to the book's content without direct attribution--but have co-authored a few that are akin to projects mentioned in the article.
I can't agree more about the sentiment that one of the top benefits of working on chef/restaurant ...

A friend and fellow food writer/cookbook author posted this a day or two ago: "For the next 2 weeks, I'm going to cook whatever I want and I'm not going to write it down, save the receipts, or set a timer. So there!"
Which, to the average reader, might not make much sense. Or if it does, might not seem like that big a deal. Pfft, such a thing to complain about. Writing things down? Setting a timer?
Oh, but I shook ...

After so many years working in the culinary business, I cannot say how much I relish the incredibly broad, diverse, fascinating, inspiring group of colleagues I've had the pleasure to interact with over the years. And it is so very satisfying to cheer them in their accomplishments and milestones, tip a glass in their direction when they get some well-deserved recognition.
Such is the case this week when the Friday Seattle Times included a tribute to Robert Hess and one ...

Yeah, it's not the most appetizing adornment. Hard to miss against salmon's rosy-orange flesh, the white gooey stuff that sometimes appears during cooking is certainly a visual distraction. And might leave you feeling like you've messed up somehow. Possibly ruined that glorious piece of salmon even.
First off, not ruined. Maybe a bit overcooked (more on that shortly), but not a calamity. And you’ll be happy to know there are a couple simple things you can do ...

"What's the deal?" a number of people have been asking me lately. "Isn't there something about not eating oysters in the summer?"
Yeah, there is. Or was.
The truth in the "don't eat oysters in the months without an 'R'" relates in part to the basic biology of oysters. When summer brings along an increase in water temperature, it induces natural oysters to spawn. These oysters aren't harmful to ...

It's no surprise that I've been talking A LOT about oysters in the past few months, since the release of Oysters: Recipe that Bring Home a Taste of the Sea. And no, I haven't gotten tired of the topic, I'm not sick of them yet!
In the course of interviews I've been doing and classes I'm teaching, a frequent question I get asked is about my favorite way to cook oysters. I ...

Ready for a gin and tonic revolution? Well. Maybe revolution is a bit overboard. But it's time for a movement of some kind to elevate the glories of the beloved G & T. A campaign maybe? Sure would beat the other brand of campaign we're being pounded with these days. This would be a happy and uplifting campaign. No caucuses and delegate-counting, no juvenile jousting and mind-numbing politicking. ...

Even though the dust has settled and the workmen gone, I keep a comic strip stuck to the wall that really struck a chord a few months ago. In that timeless setting of the therapist's office, the therapist prattles on about how there are no quick fixes in therapy, it's a frustrating often traumatic process, it can be lengthy -- to which the patient replies "much like having your kitchen remodeled."
Heavens. Could I relate. And we ...